Danuki (Greyhawk)

Unofficial rules compendium

Danuki are Japanese spirit animals, at home in brush, hills, and ditches, kin to kitsune and tengu. As game creatures, they are humanoids, related to the tanuki (japanese raccon-dog) the same way kitsune are related to foxes. Just like there are kitsune and nogitsune, there are danuki and bako-tankui, bako-tanuke are not oni but more more monstrous and closer to the spirit world than danuki. Bako-tanuki are called tanuki in the Pathfinder Game Bestiary 3

Description

Danuki vary greatly in their natural appearance, and as all danuki are shapechangers, their natural appearance is often irrelevant.

Physical Description: Danuki are small, about 2'7", humanoids with the snouts and ears of the tanuki. They have stout, dwarf-like bodies and furred tails. Some danuki have body fur and look more animal-like, while others have humanoid faces with only the ears, tail, and sometimes te rhinarium of an animal.

Society: Danuki can live in most temperate climates and thrive in much the same places humans do. They are not as adaptable as humans and avoid extremes of heat, cold, and mountainous terrain. When living with their own kind they often make their homes in burrows or hollow trees, but if available they gladly take over the abandoned dwellings of other species. Danuki are clever, but they are also shy, lazy, cowardly, and pleasure-seeking. They like to find positions in society where they can enjoy life while helping their neighbours without having to work hard. They love to entertain, and do not consider this work, but this is conflicted with their natural shyness. Few danuki would go out of their way to trouble or oppress others, but neither would they normally offer help. The one exception is that few danuki can help but make fun of fools and buffoons.

Relations: Danuki are often considered lucky or blessed by humans, and a certain level of unruliness is expected, even extending to minor thefts. Those who know danuki know these thefts are rarely malicious, and the danuki will often repay a theft later. Elves, gnomes, and halflings generally share this generous attitude, and even dwarfs find danuki charming, if untrustworthy. Orcs, goblins, gnolls, and similar evil creatures find most danuki to be nuisances better eaten than spoken to.

Alignment and Religion: Danuki are self-centered and tend towards chaotic alignments. They have an instinctive need to humble the pompous and foolish, and tough not all danuki dare to do so, it is considered highly virtuous for a danuki to trick and make fools of such creatures. This does not prevent danuki from acting like pompous fools themselves. Most danuki have a health respect for gods and spirits; a danuki may make fun of errant clergy, but when confronted with genuine faith and humility or a virtuous magical creature they are usually impressed and respectful. A who is danuki particularly impressed might seek to serve and spread such a faith, often with hilarious results in the case of creeds of law or discipline.

Adventurers: Heroes among the danuki are often magicians, developing their natural shape-changing abilities to frightful levels. Magic comes naturally to danuki as long as they can overcome their natural reservations. Danuki make excellent bards, sorcerers, and especially psychics. Those who go for mundane careers are usually rogues or investigators.

Male Names: Aito, Akio, Akira, Eiichi, Hansuke, Hibiki, Hikaru, Hiroto, Hiroyuki, Izumi, Koji, Taichi, Yokuto.

Female Names: Andrea, Hikaru, Kaiya, Mao, Natsuko, Nozomi, Rei, Sachi, Tamiko, Umeko, Yoshiko.

Standard Racial Traits

This is a work in progress.

• Ability Score Racial Traits: -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -4 Wisdom, +2 Charisma. Danuki are clever and charming, but shortsighted and their size limits the strength they can muster.
• Size: Danuki are Small creatures and thus gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty on their combat maneuver checks and to Combat Maneuver Defense, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
• Type: Danuki are humanoids with the danuki and shapechanger subtypes.
• Base Speed: 20 ft.
• Languages: Danuki begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Danuki with high intelligence scores can choose from the following: Elven, Catfolk, Draconic, Gnome, Halfling, and Terram.
• Random Starting Age: Base age 15 years
  Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer +1d4
  Bard, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger +1d6
  Cleric, Druid, Monk, Wizard +2d6.
• Aging Effects: Middle Age 35. Old 55. Venerable 80. Max 80+3d20.
• Height and Weight (male and female): Height 2'2 Weight 30 lbs. Modifier 2d4 Weight Multiplier x2 lbs.,

Skill Racial Traits

• Natural Actor: All danuki have a talent for acting and gain a +2 racial bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks.
• Scavenger: Danuki gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.

Magical Racial Traits

• Masterful Shapeshfter Once per day a danuki can assume the form of another creature or object, a supernatural ability that can duplicate the spells beast shape I, monstrous physique I, and object shape I. To use this ability, the danuki must make a Disguise check (DC 20), with the usual modifiers for Disguise. Ignore race and gender modifiers for object forms. The attempt takes a full-round action. This ability lasts until the danuki suffers the influence of a non-harmless effect with the emotion or fear descriptors. Otherwise, not even death can reverse the transformation.
• Learned Shapeshifter For each rank danuki gain in the Disguise skill, they can select one form they can assume as an immediate action without having to make a Disguise check and without counting against the daily limit on masterful shapeshifter. This must be a form they can transform into using masterful shapeshifter when taking 20 on the check. Each form is specific; if a danuki selects the form of a 14 year old human girl, that danuki does not become able to freely change into the form of any other humans, girls, or 14-year olds.

Weakness Racial Traits

• Coward's Excuse: Danuki make great magicians, but their concentration is easily disrupted. All spells cast by danuki have emotion components (see Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Occult Adventures). This is in addition to any other components of the spell.
• Nearsighted: Danuki take twice the usual Perception penalties due to range (-1 per 5 ft. of distance).
• Phobic: All danuki have a phobia, usually against a type of predator or a member of a specific race or class (such as a wolf, elf, or known ranger), but sometimes a natural phenomena. A predator phobia applies against monsters of this basic form, like a worg or winter wolf for wolves. The GM must approve all phobias and insure that at least the threat of them occurring comes up in the story. When in the presence of their phobia, danuki become scared, and if directly confronted they become covering for 1d6 rounds and thereafter panicked for another 1d6 rounds.

Danuki in Greyhawk

Danuki are relatively common in Nippon and the Nippon Territories, and exist in small enclaves in Hepmonaland. Only a few individuals ever get as far away as the Flanaess, a place they consider cold and hostile. In Nippon, they are outsiders and wanderers, imposers at best. Individual danuki can achieve positions of wealth and power, but most live on the fringes of societies or as small-time businessmen or shopkeepers.

Racial Trait Picks

-1 Speed 20 ft.
+12 Master Shapeshifter
-2 Mixed weak ability scores
+1 Lowlight vision
+2 Natural Actor
+2 Scavenger
-2 Coward's Excuse
-2 Nearsighted

10 points

External Links

• Tanuki @ Wikipedia.
• Bake-danuki, Tanuki and Meneki Neko – Sagano bamboo forest, Arashiyama near Kyoto, Japan

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